Holidays/Events/Parades

Six Flags Over Texas

Texas has been under six flags -- Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederate States of America, and United States of America. The city of Laredo, Texas claims seven flags -- one for the…

Six Pack (UT-Austin campus buildings)

The University of Texas at Austin has six red-roofed campus buildings on the South Mall that are commonly referred to as the "six pack." Batts, Mezes, and Benedict are on the east side;…

Six Shooter Junction

A "six-shooter" is a revolver capable of firing six shots before reloading. The Texas towns of Harlingen, Hempstead, Kenedy, and Waco have all claimed to be known as "Six Shooter…

Six-Man Football

Six-man football allows smaller schools that can't field 11-man teams to still play the game. Six-man football was invented by Stephen Epler in Nebraska, but the game really took root in…

Six-Shooter Coffee

"Six-shooter coffee" was a popular drink at the president's LBJ Ranch in the 1960s, but the term is seldom used today. Legends of America slang pageSix-shooter Coffee -- Strong…

Skee-Ball

Remember Skee-Ball? From Coney Island, right? Maybe you've played it recently at a street fair? Actually, the game comes from Philadelphia, but that doesn't mean that Coney Island…

Skin in the Game

Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Skin in the game (phrase)To have "skin in the game" is to have incurred monetary risk by being invested in achieving a goal. In the phrase,…

Skinny Nut (pistachio nickname)

Pistachio nuts were a common food in what is now northeastern Iraq since at least 6750 B.C. The pistachio has been promoted as the "skinny nut" since at least January 2009. The book The…

Skunk Egg (onion)

"Skunk eggs" were what cowboys called onions. The term "skunk egg" appears in many collections of cowboy lingo after 1950, but pre-1950 citations are rare. 10 May 1943, Ogden…

Skycap

The word "skycap," like "scofflaw," entered the language as a contest winner. Willie Wainwright, of New Orleans, won $100 in 1940 for his suggestion of "skycap" for…

Skyscraper

"Skyscraper" was the name of a horse in the late 1700s. "Skyscraper" also meant a large, triangular sky-sail in the late 1700s. In the 1880s, in both Chicago and New York, the…